Perception of Choral Blend Among Choral, Instrumental, and Nonmusic Majors Using the Continuous Response Digital Interface

The concept of choral blend is often adjudicated but seldom researched. Voice matching to achieve choral blend (placing specific voices next to one another to achieve a blended sound within a section) is frequently recommended. The authors asked participants ( N = 55) comprised of vocal, instrumental, and nonmusic majors to move a continuous response digital interface dial to indicate judgment of blend quality while listening to voice-matched choral groupings. Graphic analyses indicated general agreement in judgments of good blend and bad blend among all three groups especially within alto and bass excerpts. Less agreement appeared for soprano and tenor excerpts. Pearson correlations between repeated excerpts were highly positive for vocalists but less consistent for others. Vocalists listened longer before making a judgment. Few group differences in judgment magnitude appeared, but general tendencies toward good blend judgments were evident. Discussion included future research implications and applications for educators.

The Effect of Singing Mode and Seating Arrangement on Choral Blend and Overall Choral Sound

This study is an examination of the effects of soloistic versus blended choral singing and random versus acoustic choral seating arrangements on evaluations of choral blend and overall choral sound. Thirty-seven choral conductors, 33 voice teachers, and 32 nonvocal musicians rated performances of four pieces by a choir of 22 voice majors. Eight choristers were recorded individually during choral performances and solo, and their vocal production was evaluated by 12 voice teachers. Choristers rated experimental conditions for vocal comfort and choral sound. Results indicated that choral conductors preferred blended singing over soloistic singing. No significant singing mode preference, however, was found in choral evaluations by voice teachers and nonvocal musicians. Voice teachers ranked individual vocal production in blended choral singing lower than in soloistic choral singing, and both choral singing modes lower than solo singing. Acoustic seating positively affected evaluations of choral performance, individual vocal production, and choristers' vocal comfort and choral sound ratings.

An Acoustical Study of Individual Voices in Choral Blend

The purpose of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of choral blend by identifying spectral differences between vocal sounds produced in solo singing and in unison ensemble singing aimed at achieving optimum blend. Individual voices were recorded in isolation by having singers blend with the sustained tones of a prerecorded ensemble heard through earphones along with the singer's own voice. Recordings of the same singers producing corresponding sounds in the style of their solo singing provided pairs of sounds representing both modes of performance. In contrast to solo singing, those sounds produced in blend tended to have slightly stronger fundamental frequencies in combination with fewer and weaker upper partials, and also slightly stronger first formants in combination with weaker second and third formants. The results may explain in part how certain commonly used choral techniques take advantage of particular traits of the aural perception mechanism to produce ensemble blend.